Romeo And Juliet, With Vampires
by savnuh
Summary: Forks, WA is town full of vampires. Bella and Alice live together there. One day Bella meets a human man that changes her life forever. Dun dun dun... Lemons - they're not so bad, but still.
1. Stranger Danger? Nawh

**(a/n Background info: This takes place in Forks, WA. Bella and Alice are vampires, and so is everyone else in the town. Bella teaches second grade and Alice has her own clothing line – so she designs clothes for a living.)**

Alice and I got dressed in silence. We shared a room, and we weren't speaking with each other at the moment. She was mad at me for being mad at her for dating Jasper. It wasn't that I was mad at her for _dating_ him, I was mad at how serious things were already, physically. How could she just put herself out there like that? I'll admit that I was also a tad bit jealous that she seemed to be so in love. I wish I had that. I sighed as I slipped on my favorite deep blue flats that would match my outfit perfectly.

"Bella?" a tiny voice asked from the other side of the room. "Yes?" I replied, stifling a yawn. I turned around to see Alice fabulously dressed in a sparkly silver dress with silver stilettos to match. I raised my eyebrows at her. It must be a rainy day.

_Flashback_

_I came home from work late because I had to grade papers that I had been putting off. I wanted to finish it at the school so I could come home and hang out with Alice. I pulled up and saw a black Cadillac SRX in my parking spot, which had my eyebrows rising in tension. I wanted to relax tonight and we had a visitor. Perfect. _

_I parked on the curb in front of the house and after looking around to check for humans, ran to the porch at top speed to get out of the pouring rain. I shook off before opening the door, not wanting to make puddles on the floor in the foyer. I hung my rain coat up and took off my boots. I called Alice's name and heard rumbling from our bedroom. _

_My first guess was that Alice was stocking our closet AGAIN with even more outfits that she picked up today. She does it basically every other week. Buying new clothes, donating the old ones. I can hardly wear something twice. _

"_Alice," I called, "Please don't tell me you bought more clothes today. You just went shopping last weekend." I could hear muffled talking now, and I remembered the foreign car outside. "Alice?" I said a little wearier. I slowly made my way back to the bedroom, and announced that I was coming in before I turned the knob. When I opened the door, Alice and a man I had not seen before – obviously vampire – were sitting on the end of our bed (which was mainly there for show). Alice smiled nervously and stood up. She smoothed her hair a little, which brought it to my attention. Her hair was slick with sweat and even more tousled than it usually was. I looked at the man, whose hair was about the same._

_I cleared my throat and felt the tension in the room. "Bella… this is Jasper. Jasper, Bella. Um…" She trailed off, biting her lip. We stood in silence for a moment, then I scoffed. _

"_Really Alice? For real? What the hell are you thinking? Do you have no morals?" I yelled and stormed out of the room. Ugh, they had done it on our bed. Not that we slept on it, but still! Alice came running after me, a hurt and shocked expression painted on her face. _

"_Bella! Don't be like that. I've been seeing Jasper for a few weeks. I just haven't told you because, well… I know how close we are and I didn't want you to feel like me seeing Jazz would ruin that. I'm sorry. He came home with me today so the two of you could meet and well, we waited for you. But you never came, and I'm sorry. I really am, and I know what you're thinking but it's not like that at all!"_

"_So you guys just screwed until I got here? How pleasant to know. Alice! You've known this guy for a few weeks and you're having sex with him? That's really slutty, Alice, honestly! You're not like that. Or maybe you are, I can't really be sure at the moment. I can't believe you," I spat and headed back outside to my truck. I hopped inside the cab and drove back to the school._

_-Later that night-_

_I came back a few hours later once the anger had worn off a little bit. I opened my laptop on the couch in the living room and started working on a story I was writing. I wrote for hours until I needed to get ready for work again._

_End of flashback_

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about Jazz. I know you don't understand why we're so serious already, but Bells, it's love. I know it is. I've lived for a hundred years now and I've never felt something like this. I know you think I'm putting myself out there…too soon, but Bella, you've got to trust me. And if I make a mistake, then you are free to say I told you so." She finished, and I knew it was the best apology she could come up with. Alice was trying to get on good terms with me and I missed her, even though the silence hadn't even lasted a day. She was my best friend though.

I half-smiled, "Okay, okay, okay. Apology accepted. I'll try to be more optimistic. I just worry about you, Alice. I don't want you to change. You have an amazing personality as it is." I grabbed my purse and looked over myself in the mirror quickly, "Now I've got to head out or I'll be late for class again."

I saw Alice smile and I walked out of our bedroom and out the front door. I could smell a large buck only two miles away, but I didn't want to be late. I had hunted last night anyways while I was still angry with Alice. I shook my head as if to shake off the memory of last night. It didn't really matter. I'd overreacted big time. I promised myself that I'd make it up to Alice. I really had been too rude. I ran to work since it would be faster than taking the truck. I laughed as I saw some of my students running to school, too. In a town full of vampires, this wasn't an unordinary sight. Of course we kept to the woods in case a human passed through town. The Volturi were already skeptical about Forks. They thought it would bring to much attention to our kind. Things were fine so far. All of us were "vegetarians", which means we didn't feed on humans, so I didn't really see what the big deal was. We were all pale white and beautiful, but at least the paleness could be explained by the lack of sun in Forks.

I arrived to class and was glad to see only a few students there already. I got teased enough by my students for being late. _"How can a vampire be late for class? It's not like you could oversleep! Hahaha." _ I started writing the warm up on the board, a simple math problem that all my second graders could handle. I wrote the quote of the day on the other side of the white board, making it a little corny since today was Valentine's Day. The smallest girl in the class, Gabrielle, walked up to me with a small bottle in her hands. I smiled and when I took my next breath, I could tell it was mountain lion blood. I smiled and thanked her, handing her a card that I had made during the night.

The day passed quickly, as they usually do. I got a lot of cards, and Gabrielle's brother also gave me a container of blood, which I took warily. I had only been a vampire for twenty years and although the gesture was probably meant to be sweet, it was a little awkward for me. **(a/n I know that in Twilight if a child was bitten by a vampire they would stop growing, but that isn't the case in my story. Also, vamps can have babies ;) They stop growing when they come of age.)**

We mainly focused on math and history today, since it was Thursday. Every day we took thirty to forty-five minutes to discuss the history of vampires, too. Personally, that was the best part of the day for me. It was always interesting, never boring. Daniel, a rather rambunctious little guy, was our own class clown. He made sure things never got too boring. We ate lunch outside since today was a rare sunny day. Our outdoor picnic tables were behind the school, away from the main highway. We only ever used them when it was sunny, and we didn't want to attract attention if there were humans driving through. After lunch, we had a thirty minute music session that was always, always fun. Before I knew it the day was over and all my students were heading home.

I went home after work to get the truck and headed to the newly built Wal-Mart to pick out the paint for the new house. Alice and I decided to buy a gorgeous house in the middle of a meadow that was submerged in the forest. It was cozy and beautiful. We didn't have to share a room anymore, either. Alice could see into the future, so that helped us pay for the house. One word: lottery. I felt kind of bad about it, but she did it before I could ask. I grinned hugely as I thought of the beautiful house that was now ours. I couldn't wait to start decorating, which was why I was here. Alice was rubbing off on me; I loved to decorate now.

I grabbed a cart and waved to Nelson, an old man that was changed after his wife died of cancer. He realized what we were, and the Volturi demanded we either change him or kill him. The "mayor", I guess you could call him, demanded that we change him. Now the poor guy has to suffer every day as he remembers his wife. They were so in love… I frowned and he just shook his head as if to say it was okay. I've had many conversations with Nelson so he knew how I felt about the situation. I gave him a hug and continued over to the paint section.

After picking the brightest orange paint I could find, I looked through the other décor isles and grabbed things Alice and I would like. I practically knew what Alice would want for her room, but I decided to let her shop for it. After all, that is part of the fun. I bought a bouquet of roses for her and made my way over to the checkout line. I managed to blow $400 in two hours. I loaded everything up in my old pickup after waving goodbye to Nelson on the way out and returned the cart to the front of the store. I drove home and brought everything inside and decided to wander about town tonight until Alice would be home from work. It was only seven o'clock so I should be home by nine to hang out with Alice.

I decided to leave the truck at home. It was more noise than necessary. I wanted to take some pictures so I took my camera, a very decent Canon Powershot, and walked down the street. One of the things I loved the most about Forks was how beautiful it was. The nature was incredible. I made my way down the street to the nearest park walking as slow as a human would to enjoy more of the nature around me, which only took about five minutes. I sat down on the bench for almost an hour, sometimes taking pictures, sometimes just relaxing.

The sun was just beginning to set as a tiny shuttering noise broke me from my trance. I rationalized that Alice would be home in about one more hour, so I started gathering my things, preparing to go home. The gentle breeze that was rare for Forks made my hair swirl around me. Suddenly, the scent hit me so hard that I almost fell backwards. I froze and snapped my eyes closed. I immediately stopped breathing since I was still considered a young vampire; I didn't really trust myself around humans yet. _Especially_ if it caught me off guard, like right now. Humans usually don't visit Forks… It's just a town no one goes to unless they were born here.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" a sweet, velvety voice asked. If my heart still beat, it would go racing just at the sound. I slowly opened one eye and peered at the stranger in front of me. As soon as I saw him, my eyes flew wide open and I gasped audibly. _He_ was beautiful. The nature that surrounded us dimmed as I took in his figure. I didn't realize that I was still staring at him until he spoke again. "You're a sight to see as well… My boss didn't tell me that the there were also such beautiful women here." He grinned crookedly, and snapped a picture of me. I snapped my mouth shut, realizing it had been hanging open the whole time.

"Umm, thank you. I haven't seen you around here before…" I paused to take a breath to speak again, and was surprised when the thirst wasn't as powerful as it had been a minute ago, "What is your name?" I could see perfectly since becoming a vampire, but I had never seen a man so…handsome. And, to think – He was human! His emerald green eyes made me melt where I sat. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice in my head sang when he called me beautiful. I've heard that a lot since I've been changed, but it was different this time. It made me happy.

"My name is Edward Cullen. And no, I'm not from around here. I came to Forks on business," he held up his camera, "I'm a photographer. My boss sent me here. He said that he and his wife had passed through here a few months ago on a trip to Seattle and that it was stunningly beautiful. He wanted me to take some pictures for the magazine. Even in winter it is so green here… It's truly lovely." He said all this while looking around at the trees and his eyes suddenly landed on me. "Might I ask what your name is?"

"I'm Bella Swan. I… I've lived here for a while," I said slowly, finally taking my eyes off of him to look down at my feet. "Would you like me to show you around town?" I looked up, not sure how I had managed to ask him that. Even as a vampire my confidence wasn't really the best.

He was smiling sweetly at me. "I'd love that." I stood and we started walking through the park. Call me crazy, but I was starting to think that maybe Alice wasn't insane. Maybe love at first sight did exist. I wasn't saying I was in love with this man… Edward… but there was definitely something. I couldn't think straight with him walking beside me.

We started walking in the opposite direction of my house, which I assumed was where he came from. We walked past the post office, which really just looked like an old house. He said something about how he would need to mail his boss pictures after a while. We passed the school buildings next. I pointed to the Forks Elementary School and told him that was where I worked. The middle school was slightly bigger than the elementary school and the high school was massive compared to the other two. We continued walking and didn't pass anything of significance for a while.

We finally reached the "downtown" part of Forks, as I called it. It wasn't really much. Forks was a small "in-the-middle-of-no-where" town. There was the local grocery store, the Wal-Mart, dry cleaners, barber shop, pet store/groomer, and the Newtons' outdoor supply store. There was a diner and run down Chinese restaurant as well. We stopped by the diner and he ordered a strawberry milkshake while I just said I wasn't thirsty. I laughed to myself thinking how that was so untrue. He mentioned how he was staying at a motel a few miles further down the road and we started walking in that direction. We were talking about our jobs when my cell phone rang – _NICE LEGS, DAISY DUKES, MAKES A MAN GO (insert whistle sound here)…_ - it was Alice.

"Hello?"

"_Where are you? I got home and no one was here. Are you okay? It's almost ten o'clock! Oh look, you went to Wal-Mart! Awh flowers, for me? How sweet..."_

I don't know how she managed to say all that in one breath, but she did it.

"Hey Alice. Sorry, I ran into a guy who is visiting Forks. I was showing him where everything was…" I smiled at Edward, and he smiled back.

"_Oooooh! A boy? Is he cute? What's he like? When will you get home? ARE you coming home? You bad girl! And you were yelling at me last night! Hah!"_

"Alice! I was showing him around town. I'm on my way home right now." I snapped the phone shut and chuckled under my breath. She was hilarious sometimes. If I could blush I would've been bright red. I looked up at Edward, and he looked disappointed.

"Going home so soon?" He chuckled, but his eyes looked serious. We'd been chatting the whole time I showed him around, and he had a nice sense of humor. It was a very pleasant thing to talk to him. I smiled as I realized that he didn't want me to go. And then I frowned as I realized that made me happy. I liked him. Crap. Human? It had been hard enough talking to him all day while his scent teased me. Luckily his presence clouded up my head enough to take away some of that desire.

"You could walk me home," I smiled, "I'll need some help convincing my sister that I've been telling the truth about today's activities." I laughed at the thought. Alice was such a handful, that little ball of energy. He agreed and we started walking in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, it was getting dark out and the rain was starting to come down extremely hard, harder than it usually did – even for Forks. We stopped by the Wal-Mart and after much persistence _I_ bought a large umbrella that we could both fit under. We walked quickly back to my house. Once it was finally in view, we jogged until we were under the protection of the porch. We laughed as we shook the rain off of our coats.

I went to open the door but his hand somehow reached the knob before mine. He opened the door and stepped out of my way. "Ladies first," He said, smiling warmly at me. I ducked into the warm house quickly with Edward following behind. I pointed to the rug and mouthed, "Alice," knowing she'd freak if we soaked her hardwood floors. I hung my coat up on my usual hook by the door and went to take my soaked flats off.

I sat down on the couch and curled up by the arm since my clothes weren't too wet and I didn't have to change. "Oh, Edward, how are you going to get to your hotel?" I asked as he sat down next to me. I wouldn't have asked him to walk me home if I would have thought about that before.

"I can walk, Bella. I would think that you should know that after today," he smirked. Alice laughed loudly, suddenly appearing behind the couch. She walked around the couch and smiled at me in an all-knowing way. I'm sure she liked the idea of someone to gang up on me with. She loved to joke around with me. "By the way, your home is very nice." He stood up and shook hands with Alice. "And I'm Edward Cullen. Sorry to keep Bella out so late. She's been very helpful. I feel like I know Forks like the back of my hand." He chuckled.

I smiled as Alice raised her eyebrows and thanked him for his compliments. I knew that expression – she approved. We all sat in the living room and talked for another hour or so before Edward mumbled something about getting to the motel. I immediately frowned, but caught it quickly and had a neutral expression before he could look at me.

"Thanks for everything Bella. I had a great time today. You too, Alice," He smiled. I saw him stifling a yawn and when I looked at the clock, I saw that it was almost midnight. I jumped to my feet. "Edward, you must be so tired! There's no way you're going to walk to the motel. What if you fall asleep in a ditch or something?" I joked, but was actually concerned about him getting there safely. "I'm driving you."

"Bella, that's ridiculous, you have to be tired too. I think driving is more dangerous. You should get some sleep." He said seriously. _I can't sleep,_ I wanted to tell him. Instead, Alice and I burst into laughter. He looked slightly offended.

"Edward…that's…hilarious…" Alice said between laughs. He looked more confused than offended now.

Finally I was able to explain. "I'm sort of a night-owl. So is Alice. We don't sleep that much. Really, I'm wide awake. And I am driving you to your motel. Plus, I want to know where I can come to see you tomorrow." I added the last part so he would give in, but his face lit up. I'm sure mine did too as I considered seeing him tomorrow.

"Fine, you're driving me," he smiled. Alice giggled and I smirked. Edward and I put on our raincoats and I slid on my boots instead of my still wet flats. I frowned at the sight. I wondered if they'd still be okay later. We ran to my truck trying to avoid of the rain. Well, he ran while I tried to be slow enough to keep pace with him. We laughed as we climbed into the truck. He told me which place he was staying at, and we took off.

The car ride was pleasantly quiet except for Edward's occasional chuckles and my responding giggles. When we got to the hotel, I walked him to his room. Luckily the walkway had a roof over it, so we didn't get soaked. "Would you like to see _my_ amazing room?" He teased. I had trouble swallowing, only because a guy plus a girl plus a hotel room never really meant anything good. "Don't worry; I'm not going to take advantage of your spacey moments or anything." He joked, but looked serious. He was so easy to read. He looked almost hurt that I was hesitating.

"Lead the way," I said in a shaky voice. He chuckled as he unlocked the door and held it open for me. I smiled as I saw a camera case sitting open on the king sized bed. I walked over to it, kneeling beside the bed, and saw two cameras. One was a slim digital camera and one was an old Polaroid. There was an empty space between the two. I was about to ask when Edward came up from behind me and placed the huge "Mac daddy" Sony camera in the empty space. It looked like something professional photographers used. Wait. He is a professional photographer. There was a large plastic case where memory cards were stored and there was a stack of Polaroid pictures that he had taken. I sifted through them, amazed at how pretty they were.

"This is Betty," he said, pointing to the Polaroid. "She's my baby girl," he chuckled. I looked up at him and giggled.

"Betty? You named your camera?" I asked. "Yes," he said looking very serious.

I smiled and got up. "Whatever floats your boat." I turned around to face him and realized that he was closer than I thought. I watched his face, careful not to "space out" so I could try to read him. Several emotions flickered over his face in a few seconds. Surprise. Happiness. Nervousness. Anger? No, frustration. Then he looked shy, and his face rested on that expression. He smiled and stroked his fingers on down my arm. My eyes got wide as I noticed the electricity that flowed between us where his fingers touched my arm. Then I remembered he was human.

I looked at his face, and he looked confused and worried. "Bella… you're freezing!" He sputtered.

"I… I'm always cold," I muttered, looking down at my feet, for the first time mad at what I was. "My body temperature must be lower than everyone else's or something." I felt his hand lift up my chin to look him in the eyes. Right about then was when I knew that somehow I was already falling in love with this man. Looking into his perfect emerald eyes, I could not deny it.

"Would you like me to warm you up?" He joked, "And I don't mean anything sexual by that, just to let you know." He winked. I was still frozen in my own little revelation. After a few moments passed, he became uneasy and raised his eyebrow at me. "Well…?"

"Um… I think I might need to get home to Alice. She'll wonder…"

"Okay. What time will you be over tomorrow?" He asked, keeping his expression neutral, but his eyes showed the pang of rejection in them. I didn't mean it like that. Not even close!

"Well, I'll come over after work. We only have half days at the school on Fridays." I smiled then, because I knew tomorrow would be just as good as today was. _Maybe even better_, I thought, remembering his hand on my chin. _No! He's human, that's just not possible! You can't fall in love with a human._ He laughed and I realized that this was what he meant by a spacey moment. _Too late._

"In that case, may I take you out to lunch?" he asked politely. He was so polite. I liked it.

"That sounds great." I took a step back and his hand fell by his side. His eyes looked troubled as I'm sure mine did too. I turned and reluctantly walked to the door. I tried to open it, but I was having trouble with the handle. Everything in this town was from the '60s, I'm sure. I heard Edward walking up behind me. I moved aside as he quickly turned the handle and the door swung open. "Thanks." I laughed as I stepped out into the rain again. I walked down the walkway and was about to make a run for my car when I heard Edward's voice.

"Hey Bella!" he called from the doorway.

"Yes?" I turned around to see him. He was smiling as if he found something amusing. I walked back up to him and he put his hand on my arm again, wincing slightly at the temperature.

"Even though technically it isn't Valentine's Day anymore… will you be my valentine?"

I smiled and then laughed. "Oh, I think I deserve better, don't you?" I teased. I watched as his face fell. He had so many emotions. I had forgotten how different humans were. But it intrigued me even further. "Just kidding! Edward, that would make me very happy." I smiled at his adorable expression. Some part of me was wondering how much younger he was then me and if that should feel creepy. I was technically twenty-three. I've been alive for forty-three years, though.

"Good. Happy Valentine's Day, Bella." He said and kissed my forehead. I blinked a few times, and said the same back. I turned around slowly and walked back to the end of the walkway. I glanced behind me and he was still standing in the doorway.

"Goodnight," He called after me as I ran at a human pace back to my truck.

"Goodnight!" I yelled back as I got in and drove away.

I was yelling at myself the entire drive home. "How can you be falling in love with a human, Bella? That's ridiculous. I've never heard of it. You should break…whatever this is off right now so he won't get hurt," my voice dropped to a whisper, "I don't want to hurt him…" I arrived home in less than two minutes, even though the drive there had taken ten. The need for speed as a vampire was utterly ridiculous, but I was a junkie.

I ran vampire speed to the porch and took off my boots and coat just as fast. I ran to the room and threw myself on our bed. "UGH!" I groaned as I realized I had landed on someone. I sat up and looked down at a smirking Alice.

"How'd it go, Juliet?" She asked in a sarcastic tone, her eyes mocking.

"Horrible!" I screeched, "Alice, is it possible for a vampire to fall in love with a human? I mean, I was just criticizing you yesterday about your love life and look at me! At least you're in love with a vampire! How am I supposed to do this? He's human! And I love him, I think. Well, it's surely getting there. I think it's one of those love-at-first-sight kinds of things, you know? Oh god Alice I could break him. He's human. And there's not a way we could have a relationship. He likes me too, I know it! He asked me to be his Valentine and everything and Alice…" I trailed off, gasping for breath out of habit.

Her eyes got wide and she wrapped her arms around me. "But Bella, I can see the future. I know how things will turn out." She said in a soothing voice.

"Oh my gosh you're right! What does it look like right now?"

"Couple. Happy couple. You guys _can_ carry out a relationship if you try hard enough. But there are two problems in my vision…" She paused, biting her lip, "Well, for starters, Edward's a man… and sooner or later he'll want things that all men want… Umm."

I felt my eyes getting wide. "I'd break him," I repeated.

She nodded. "And also, he's going to find out. He will. The guy is determined to figure out why you're so cold and strong all the time. What are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know," I groaned in defeat. "But I want to see him again. And again and again. How? The Volturi will have my neck – literally – if I tell him what I am. But how can I not? Even in the day I've spent with him I can tell how he is. He'll get all upset if I keep a secret from him. And I can't change him… I wouldn't do this to him. I love being a vampire, but how do I know he would? The thirst? It would drive him crazy. And he already has mood swings as a human. Imagine it vampire-style."

Alice and I were quiet for several moments. "There's another thing too," she paused, making sure I was ready. She sighed, "It's the worst one..." She arched an eyebrow at me. "Tell me, I don't think it can get any worse," I mumbled through my hands which were covering my face. "You're wrong about that. Remember Nelson?" I froze. "You're right. If he knows, the Volturi will demand his death.." We sat side by side on the bed in silence, me brain working a thousand times harder than it usually did. "Alice, this is ridiculous. I just met the man today. I'm not in love with him. And I'm not interested. I'm just confused. I'm going to go work on my story and hopefully some alone time will set my head straight. This is just a misunderstanding. I'm just confused. Right?" I sat nodding my head like an idiot.

"Right…" Alice said, smiling sweetly, "That's all it is, Bells. Don't worry. I mean, falling in love can't possible just be a good thing." Her eyes narrowed.

"In this case, it can't be. Sorry, Ms. Match maker." I rolled my eyes as I stormed out of the room. Being a vampire made your emotions about a hundred times stronger compared to human emotions. I was acting like a brat, I secretly admitted.

I grabbed my laptop on the way to the couch and lay down, taking up all of the space. As I waited for the laptop to start up, I drummed my fingers on the keypad lightly to a song I had stuck in my head. That's another thing. When you have a song stuck in your head as a _vampire,_ it's ten thousand times as worse as it was before. As a vampire, your one train of thought completely fogs up any other feeling or emotion, but they're all very intense.

In a few swift motions, I had my story up and was typing away. I usually write when I get upset. In a way, the anger or frustration or whatever is bothering me fuels my writing abilities. I was so frustrated by the "Edward" situation that by morning I had finished the story I was working on.

"Jeeze," I said as I slowly entered the last period in.

"Seriously," Alice said from behind me. It's kind of challenging to scare a vampire, but Alice managed it a lot. I jumped dramatically and my laptop fell onto the floor, beeping wildly. Suddenly it stopped beeping and the screen went black. I slowly turned my head to face Alice and gave her a vicious glare.

"If my computer is broken, and the story is gone, you're dead to me." I was only joking, and she knew that, but I really would freak out if I lost the whole story. As it turns out, the computer just made an exasperated humming noise when I turned it on, but all else was well. Luckily Microsoft Word had automatically saved what I'd written.

"You honestly didn't think you could really lose all of your clumsiness by becoming a vampire, did you? That would be quite an accomplishment," Alice said, smirking like she always did.

"Well, Alice, I'm usually okay if I'm not being _ambushed_," I shot back. I looked down at the clock on my computer and shoved it aside. "Really, how does a vampire manage to always be late?" I jumped up from the couch and ran to our bedroom.

"Well, I was coming in to tell you that you might want to head to work. I was actually on my way out too. By the way… I'm going to be late tonight. You might want to get dinner with Edwardo. And by that I don't mean make Edwardo your dinner I mean go on a date to a restaurant," she said smartly.

"We'll see about that," I shouted to her as I walked in my closet. I got dressed quickly and by the time I got to my truck, Alice was no where to be seen. The weather outside was as expected: rainy. I drove to the school in a hurry and entered the classroom to see nearly all of my students in their seats and smirking at me. So it was going to be one of _those_ days.

After school let out, I delayed the date with Edward further by grading a huge stack of papers. I was too nervous to go straight there. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I finished soon. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 1 pm. I sighed and decided that everything would go smoothly, and I needed to meet him soon before I hurt his feelings.

I was gathering my things when I heard a few taps on the door. I looked up automatically and couldn't fight back a smile when I saw Edward leaning against the doorway. "I have problems with patience," he said with a smile on his face. I could tell he was joking, but still eager.

I laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that, I wanted to go ahead and grade these papers so my weekend would be free."

"You have plans this weekend?"

"Not yet. I never plan things, though. They just kind of happen," I grabbed my stuff and walked towards the door, "But I've learned from experience that things come up most of the time and it sucks to be behind on my work."

He just chuckled and grabbed the bag I was holding. We walked towards my truck quickly to avoid the rain and I noticed that he probably walked here. "You like to walk, huh?" I asked, hopping into the cab.

"Well, you've got to do what you've got to do," he laughed again. Apparently, he was in a good mood today. "This time I had an umbrella though. Where to?"

"You're the guest, you should decide."

"Well… we could go to that diner we saw yesterday."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

We maintained small talk for the duration of the ride to the diner. I noticed his scent especially today - probably because I needed to hunt soon. Being in a confined space with him was difficult, but my interest in him prevailed once again.

We both reached for the diner's door at the same time, and the contact had the same response as it did yesterday. The electric feeling was somehow stronger today. "Bella, why are you so cold? That's just not normal," he asked, exasperated.

"I don't know. It's weird," I mumbled as we entered the diner. Stella, the only waitress there, winked at me. I laughed uneasily. We made our way to a booth by the windows. It wasn't until then that I realized that Edward probably expected me to eat. I gulped as I glanced over the menu. I frantically racked my brain for some kind of excuse. Running out of time, I picked a pretty lame one.

"Oh shoot! Edward, I can't have anything to eat today. I totally forgot. My religion requires me to fast, um, today." I smiled weakly, wondering how gullible he was.

"What's so special about today?" he asked skeptically.

"Who knows? Religions, uh… They're strange." I finished, nodding. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing more. After he ordered what he wanted from Stella, we sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm going to feel really awkward eating while you're not," he said warily.

"Oh it's no problem! I'll be fine, really."

"If you say so… Anyways, how was-"

His phone started to ring and cut him off. He glanced down at it and excused himself. He stood on the sidewalk, where he still had protection from the rain. I looked away from him, sighing and sliding down into my seat. "Ugh…" I groaned.

I heard Stella's high heels clicking as she walked towards me. "Honey, you know I love you," she said as she took Edward's place across the table, "But I'm just wondering; what the hell are you doing?" For some unfathomable reason, Stella had a southern accent. I never understood it. She must have spent some time down south sometime in her life.

"I don't even know, Stella. I met Edward, that's his name, yesterday and showed him around town. And then he asked to see me today and I said yes because for some reason, I really like him." My voice dropped to an almost inaudible level, "And he's human! How could I be interested in a human? I don't know what to do, Stella… He just bewilders me. He's fascinating; I can't get enough of him."

"You're gonna have to tell him sooner or later about what you are, you know, if you want to have a relationship with him. And then he'll have to be changed. Or you know what will happen. You remember what they did to Nelson."

"Yeah, I remember," I said morosely as Edward walked back inside. The sound of the bells jingling as he opened the door sent Stella back up to the counter. He walked quickly, possibly angrily, and sat back down in front of me, smiled apologetically.

"I'm so sorry about that, it was my boss. Looks like my trip here is going to be cut short."

"What?" I gasped, horrified. "But you just got here. I'm sure you haven't even gotten many pictures yet! That's ridiculous, why would he yank you out that soon?" My nostrils flared as I spoke. Only after my outburst did I realize how much it gave away. I unclenched my fists slowly, laying my hands on the table.

He stared at me, taken aback. I guess he didn't expect such a strong reaction. "I was originally supposed to stay here for a little over a week. He wants me to come back on Wednesday. He has another job for me. I'm sorry, Bella. I wish I could stay longer. Honestly, I do." He smiled weakly, reaching out for my hand. I let him hold it, even though he winced at first. If he weren't leaving so soon, I would have pulled back. My hand felt hot, and not just because of his warm touch. That dang electrical current was passing through us again. By the look on his face, he could feel it too.

Stella brought Edward his food and after a few bites, he asked for a "To Go" box. He said he'd eat it later, that it was too awkward while I wasn't eating. I tried to persuade him to go ahead, but he wouldn't budge.

Once we were in my truck again, I realized that we had nothing else on the agenda. "What's next?" I asked him, still distracted by the fact that he was leaving soon.

"Well, I don't know. Let's just hang out. Your place is probably better than mine." He laughed and I smiled as I drove towards my house. Once again, small talk filled the time that it took to get from point A to point B. The rain was really starting to pour down when we arrived at my house. We ran to the porch and were quickly inside. The house was toasty, and even I enjoyed the temperature difference, though it didn't have a huge affect on me. We sat down on the couch and at first said nothing. I just looked at him, wondering what the hell I was going to do about this hopeless situation and he looked at me, thinking whatever he was thinking. Then he spoke.

"Bella…" He murmured, leaning closer, "I don't understand it, but I can't help but to feel so peaceful and happy around you. I really enjoy your company. I… I really do like you a lot." He seemed like he was having trouble describing it. I knew how he felt with that. He brushed his fingers along my cheek, marveling at the temperature, or maybe he was getting the same shock that I was. His scent was a far off thought. I couldn't think of anything but his hand on my cheek or the close proximity between us. There was no temptation – of drinking his blood, at least. I smiled nervously at him.

"I only met you yesterday, yet I'm crazy about you," he murmured softly again, leaning ever closer. I could tell that we were moments away from a first kiss, and that these next few words needed to be delivered perfectly.

"Edward," I whispered tentatively, then paused.

"Yes?"

I was about to make some beautiful speech like he did about how much I admired him, but I chickened out. I was trying to think of something else to say, and blurted out the next thing I could think of.

"I'm a vampire," I whispered, then, realizing what I said, froze. He froze, too.

"Vampires don't exist, Bella. What are you talking about?" He dropped his hand and leaned back, looking at me warily now instead of admiringly.

"I know, um, I don't know why I said that." I laughed nervously and looked down at my hands, fidgeting.

"Bella, can I kiss you now? Or are we going to talk about mythical creatures?" he chuckled.

I looked up and smiled nervously again. "You can just kiss me."

He smiled and leaned forward, much faster than I had anticipated. My lips met his and the world was on fire. If I thought his hand on mine made it hot, then this was surely like being stuck in an oven. The electricity raced through my veins, filling every inch of me with a warm, electrical desire. I pressed my lips on his again, harder this time, and his hands moved toward my back, bringing me closer to him. His scent flooded my nostrils – this is the closest I'd ever been to him. I fought back the desire and focused on his lips. I focused on his hands - hands that were pulling me even closer to him until my entire body was pressed against his. The whole process was maddening, and I couldn't think of anything but the way he kissed me and the way he touched me. I don't even remember how long we laid there like that, kissing over and over again. I never touched him the way he touched me. He grabbed at my back, arms, and legs with ferocity and eagerness. I couldn't do the same. I'd get too caught up in the moment and could really hurt him. It was never more than that, though, for the same reason I didn't ever lose the awareness of the fact that I was…very strong. Eventually, his steam wore out. Vampires…they could go on for days like that.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was now 6 pm. Holy crap! I got up and walked to the bedroom, motioning for him to follow me. He raised his eyebrows but I waved his assumptions off. I landed on the bed with a thump, worn out. I hadn't done that since…never. Wow. He crawled into bed next to me, exhausted as well. I rolled over so that I was facing him, and he got on his side to face me. He laid his arm over me casually, smiling. I craned my neck a little to kiss him again, but softly this time.

"Edward, I... can't describe how I feel about you. I don't know the words. And I don't understand how I could feel this way after one day! But I do, I do… I love you, Edward." I evaluated his expression, wary of his reaction. To my intense surprise, he beamed.

"Well, now I don't feel awkward about saying that I love you too… I was afraid you'd have a bad reaction to that word after, what? Twenty-three hours?"

"Nope," I smiled, kissing his cheek.

"I love you Bella." Edward said, smiling widely. Then his expression slowly faded, "And I don't know how I'm supposed to leave you in five days."

"It's simple," I whispered, "Don't…"

"I wish I didn't have to." He thought quietly for a few moments, conflicting emotions crossing his face.

"What is it?" I murmured, afraid of what he would say.

"I don't understand some things about you. You're always cold, you say you don't sleep much, you wouldn't eat, and you definitely don't look as exhausted as I am right now. I feel like you're keeping something from me. And I know we just met, so of course you might have secrets and you aren't entitled to tell me right away, but it just seems like something really important." He sighed and looked at me again. "I love you, Bella. It's crazy, but I do. So you don't have to tell me what it is. It wouldn't matter."

"Edward," I sighed, sitting up. "It does matter."

He started to protest but I cut him off, "You can't love me! You have to get out of Forks, end this relationship with me right now and just leave! You can't stay here, this isn't right for you. You're right – I do have a huge secret. But it's a secret that would cost your life. I can't see you suffer for me. You have to leave."

He looked shocked. I felt terrible for saying it flat out, but I couldn't wait around and see if the Volturi would mind our relationship. "Bella, what are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere, I love-"

"You have to leave, Edward. I'm being serious – if you want to be with me, it will cost your life… And I can't do that to you."

He was silent for a long time. I stood by the door of the bedroom, choking on dry sobs. What else did I expect? I knew from the start that things wouldn't work out between the two of us. He is human, I am not.

Then he got up and walked towards me. He kissed my cheek, and hugged me tightly. I was about to protest when he let go and walked right out the door, into the rain.

**Kay, hope you liked it. Review if you want more. That's the only way I'll post sooner. I'll probably post again within four weeks without reviews, so if you want it sooner, you better review! It makes me want to write more. (: -Savannah)**


	2. The Bite

I suppose I should have been glad that he left. Now his life wasn't at stake. But all I could feel was self-pity that he left. That I couldn't see him again, and that he didn't love me enough to stay. Who would, though? A madman? Who would choose love over life?

Of course, I knew that people did that every day. But certainly not for people they had just met, right? I sat on the floor where I stood, sobbing. I wish I would've told him to leave _before_ we had kissed like that… Now I know what I could have had. Alice was home only twenty minutes after Edward left. No doubt she had seen what happened. She let me sob for hours, as long as it took to get it out. She sat beside me, silent. After a while I became silent, too. Alice sighed and stood, knowing I would want to be alone. "I'll be in the living room, Bells."

I took a hot shower, just to calm me down. It always helped when I was human and didn't fail now. I lay in bed for hours and was thankful that I didn't have to go back to work for two days. That might give me time to compose myself somewhat. I just laid in bed all day, not moving, sometimes sobbing.

On Sunday, Alice and I started moving into the new house, and with our "vampire speed", we would be finished by the Wednesday night. I got ready on Wednesday morning very early. I knew what I was doing, and I knew it would hurt me later, but I had to see him one last time. Of course, I wouldn't let him see me, but I had to see him… I ran most of the way there, but began to walk as I got closer. I stood in front of his hotel door for almost twenty minutes, listening to the peaceful breathing coming from inside that assured me he was asleep, before I tried the knob. It was unlocked. I slid in without making a sound and glanced around the room. I saw his camera case sitting on the table near the door, and his suitcase below it. Everything was packed… I walked toward his sleeping figure, holding back sobs. I wasted four days without doing this – how stupid! He managed to look even more gorgeous while he slept. His face was peaceful – not broken like the last time I saw it. I kneeled beside his bed, eye-level with Edward as he slept. I sat there for another half hour before I needed to leave for work. I was walking towards the door when his alarm clock went off. I ran top speed to the door and was outside in less than two seconds. I wonder if he saw me. In one way, I hoped so. In another, I didn't.

I ran the rest of the way to work, sliding back into my robotic mood. I was early to class; no one was there yet. After writing the warm up and quote, I sat at my desk, staring dejectedly out the window. Missing him… I didn't look up as I heard footsteps walking into the room; it was only the first student. I closed my eyes and sighed hugely, trying to get myself into teacher mode.

"Bella."

My eyes flew open and there he stood. I had to bite my lip to prevent the sobs from escaping as I looked at his beautiful, smiling face. Why had he come here? I said my goodbyes to him already, but this I couldn't handle.

"Bella, I'm staying in Forks," he said, smiling. My expression dropped immediately. "I quit my job. I don't care what secrets you have. I love you, I need you. I'm staying here with you. I've had plenty of time to think about it, and I've decided. And don't think I won't be able to provide for me, or really... for us. My father made sure all his kids were well off. I didn't make a rash decision, I thought about it clearly. I'd risk my life for you… I love you, Bella. Nothing you can say will change my mind."

My jaw dropped. He was so _stupid_! He threw away his life for me! Several students had walked in during his little speech, all saying "Awww."

"Edward, you don't know what you're saying," I said solemnly.

"I don't care, either. Didn't you hear anything I said? A life without you wouldn't be a life worth living."

I didn't know how to feel. I was both horrified that he was throwing his life away and thrilled that I'd be able to spend my life with him at the same time.

"Um… Excuse me," I said as I walked out of the classroom. I went to the main office and requested a substitute teacher for the day – there was no way I'd be able to teach now! When I got back to the classroom, Edward was surrounded by a group of kids.

"I bet that's why she's been so sad lately!" Hailey, a really tall girl said.

"You should have seen her, mister! She was like a robot. I'm so glad that she won't be anymore! Class was boring." Daniel said.

I cleared my throat and everyone went back to their seats. "Today you will have a substitute." Groans erupted throughout the classroom. "I have some personal business to take care of, so I cannot be here. Sorry class." At that moment the replacement teacher came in. I gave her the day's lesson plans and grabbed my stuff, running out the door. It wasn't raining, but it was going to soon. I decided that I should start showing Edward what he as dealing with.

"Edward," I paused, gathering my courage, "Remember when I said I was a vampire?" He nodded. "I wasn't lying, or kidding. I really am. Hop on my back, we need to get home before it starts pouring." His jaw flew open.

"You're like ninety pounds! I'll crush you!"

"Trust me. I'm a lot stronger than you think." He warily, and awkwardly, climbed onto my back, and we were off. We arrived at my house within minutes, and I set him down in the living room, which was bare. His eyes were wide and maybe even a bit scared.

"How did you do that?" He asked, awe in his voice.

"I am a vampire. I'm not kidding, I really am. And Edward, when I said knowing my secret would cost your life, I meant that too. The Volturi – that's a group of vampires that pretty much governs the rest of us – well, they don't like it when humans know about us. At all. They'll find out shortly that you know. A man that resided in Forks many years ago found out, Norman - he works at Wal-Mart, and they demanded that he be killed or turned into a vampire." His eyes widened further. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I tried to warn you. I meant it… You have to be a vampire now. Unless you'd rather die…" I sat down on the floor and started to sob. I couldn't believe what I had done to this man's life. I had totally ruined it.

"I'd love to be a vampire." He said after a while.

"You have no idea what you're saying…" I repeated.

"Change me. Do it. I want to be one. I want to be with you forever." Edward repeated, lifting me off the ground and looking me right in the eyes. "Like I said, a life without you is a life without living. I'd much rather be a vampire, no matter how painful or hard it is, than live without you. Or die, and have to live without you forever in that way, too." He kissed me on the lips gently. I had missed that too much. "I mean it, Bella. Please change me, soon. I don't want to get you in trouble with those bullies you speak of." He chuckled.

I definitely wasn't happy about it, but it all made sense. "Edward," I said slowly, "This will hurt. A lot." He nodded. "I can't do it right now. But I will tonight. We're moving to a house that's totally secluded in the forest. There, no one will hear your screaming." His smile faded. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this."

He shrugged. "It's totally worth it," he said, grinning and kissing me.

We spent the rest of the afternoon taking the rest of what was in the house to the new one while I told him what being a vampire was like. I called Alice and told her to come straight to the new house after work. She was thrilled. I also told her about Edward's choice, and she remained positive.

"_That's okay, Bella. I see him as a vampire – he'll be fine. And Bella…"_

"Yes?"

"_Since Edward's living with us now… do you think Jazz could, too?"_

"No problem," I smiled.

After talking to Alice, Edward and I moved the rest of the stuff in and finished decorating. The place looked great. We still had a few hours to go until Alice got home with Jasper and I changed Edward.

I could tell what Edward was thinking by the way he was looking at me. I laughed and ran vampire-speed to _my_ very own room. Well, me and Edward's room. I shut the door, took off my clothes – hiding them, Edward wouldn't expect that - and slipped under the covers. A few seconds later, Edward opened the door. He grinned crookedly and shut the door behind him, locking it. I could hear his heart beat racing as he made his way over to the bed. He took off his shoes, but kept on his clothes. I had been right about him not expecting it. He pulled up the covers to get in and did a double take when he saw was I was _not_ wearing. His eyes lit up, as I'm sure any man's would've, and he quickly got out of his clothes, too.

It was a sight like nothing I'd ever seen before. I thought Edward was gorgeous before, but _now_ I couldn't peel my eyes off of him. He got under the covers and scooted closer to me. When our skin touched, I could have fainted, I swear. The feelings building up inside of me were threatening to explode. It was all I could do to speak.

"Edward," I whispered.

"Yes?"

"I could very easily break you."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'll be a vampire in a few hours, and those injuries would heal very fast."

I realized he was right and that was the end of that argument. I smiled. "You're right," I murmured as he kissed my neck, moving towards my lips. We kissed for a few minutes, but then his lips started moving down again. He went down my neck, to my chest, then to my stomach, and then down each of my legs. It was as if he was determined to kiss every inch of my skin. "Stop teasing me," I said as I pulled him back up, on top of me. I kissed him aggressively, locking my hands in his hair. I could definitely _feel_ how much he wanted to do this now. Sounds escaped my lips that I didn't know I could make, and that was all Edward could take. He grabbed my hips, thrusting himself into me. Over and over again, until we were both close to the edge. Just feeling him inside of me sent shivers down my back every time I thought of it. Out in the middle of no where, with no one around, we were able to be as loud as we wanted, too. And we did. I almost couldn't take it anymore, I was about to explode. He rolled over to where I was on top of him and I tried to be careful but at the same time I was at the highest peak. I realized I wouldn't be able to control myself, so I rolled back over. He kept thrusting harder and harder until I was screaming his name. One last crazed, exasperated noise escaped our lips at the same time and then we lay together for a long time. The blankets had been kicked to the floor a while ago, and Edward's hair was pretty much stuck to his head with perspiration.

We decided to take a shower and clean up before Alice and Jasper got home. I glanced at the clock – one and a half hours to go. We took a shower together – to save water, of course – and ended up making love again. The only way I was able to pull myself away from him was when I heard the alarm go off that I'd set to remind me when it was 15 minutes until Alice got home. Edward was exhausted, and even I could use some rest. We blow-dried our hair so the shower wouldn't be obvious, made the bed, and tidied up. I was making Edward a grand dinner, his last dinner, when Alice walked in. I was flipping over chicken in a skillet while Edward had his arms around my waist. Edward and I turned around to greet them.

"Hey Bella. Hi Edward." Alice looked upset. I could tell it was from the absence of Jasper.

"Hey Alice. Where's Jasper?" I smiled, "I'm making Edward some dinner. After that, should we…?" I trailed off, looking morosely at Edward. He smiled bravely. He kissed my cheek and repeated, "A life without you isn't a life worth living…"

Alice beamed at his obvious affection and even squealed a little bit. Edward and I laughed at her excitement. After a few minutes of chatting, and her telling me that Jasper couldn't make it tonight, I focused on dinner while Edward and Alice sat in the living room and discussed the transformation and rules that we had to follow. When dinner was ready, I called Edward in and sat across from him at the table. I stared at him, despising myself for what he was about to go through. He would keep looking up, smiling at me, and say that he'd do anything for me. After he ate, he thanked me and helped wash the dishes. I was trying to do anything to postpone changing him. I went hunting so nothing would go wrong. I even called the school and told them I wouldn't be in for the rest of the week.

Finally, we decided to get it over with. We went into the spare bedroom and Edward lay down on the bed. Alice had found some restraints and put them around Edward's hands and feet. I began to sob because the sight looked so horrible… Overcoming the thirst wasn't going to be an issue, I had pretty much grown immune to it. Edward smiled and looked up at me. "Don't cry, Bella, it's okay. This is my choice. I've decided. I'm not scared." And he didn't look scared. I leaned forward and kissed him very gently on the lips. The last time I would kiss his warm, soft lips. Alice said she'd be down the hall if I needed anything.

"I love you, Edward. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." I murmured as I began to prepare myself for what I needed to do.

"I love you too, Bella. Always." He smiled again and raised his chin, making it easier to get to his neck. I gulped and kissed him again. So technically that was the last time..

"This is going to hurt a lot, Edward. But it won't last forever."

I leaned toward his neck, paused, then bit.

**(a/n Pleaaaaase comment. I don't really know what else I'm gonna write but I need encouragement to do it, so comment!)**


	3. What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

**(a/n Sorry to backtrack, but I feel like the story is moving too fast. Before you read this, I just updated the previous two chapters with some important info (I say this on June 27, 2009 so if you haven't read the two previous chapters before that date, don't worry about rereading, you read the updated one) :] Sorry to make you read it again if you haven't... I just made some good changes. But for now… Here's Edward's point of view. :] )**

EPOV

I walked into the apartment that I grew up in and immediately smelled my favorite food, chicken cordon bleu. I rolled my eyes and smiled as I walked around the corner to see my mother setting the table.

"I'll only be gone for a week, mom. But thanks," I said as I gave her a huge hug.

"You know I like to spoil you three any chance I get, anyways." My mom looked as if she was in her late twenties, not like she had two children in their twenties and one almost there. She was beautiful, loving, and sweet; I could never understand why our father left her.

My older sister Rosalie was there for my goodbye dinner, as well as Jasper, my younger brother who was named after our father. Jasper walked out of the kitchen with a grim expression, holding a pot of scalloped potatoes. He was still only 17 and lived with our mother. There was no doubt that she had made him help her with the cooking. Rose ran up to me and gave me a hug. She lived in New York, so I rarely saw her anyways.

"You know Ed, the one week that I am actually in town, you're leaving," She said morosely. "Are you avoiding me or something?" She tacked on sarcastically.

"Rose, who wouldn't want to see you? I actually tried to rearrange the trip but Larry wasn't having it."

She halfway smiled and sat down in her seat. Jasper nodded nonchalantly to me. He wasn't as enthused to see me as Rose was. He sees me at least twice a week, and before a few years ago, we'd lived together.

"Hey Jazz. How's your bike coming along?" I asked while also sitting down and putting a load of potatoes on my plate.

"Great!" He perked up. "I'm almost finished, and that kid Jake from the rez has been helping me with some things I couldn't figure out." He paused, he and Rose exchanging a meaningful look. "Rose helped us with the stuff that both of us couldn't figure out," he added, not as excited as a minute ago.

I grinned at my sister and lifted a forkful of green beans to my mouth, only to have my mother slap my hand down. "I know I raised you better than that!" I smiled sheepishly and said grace over the dinner. The food was excellent, as it always was at this house. We mostly chatted about funny memories from our childhood, like the time Jasper tried on one of Rose's bras and got caught. His face turned bright red and he brought up the time that Mom caught me sneaking in Rose's best friend through the back door. Rosalie let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes at that. "What was she even thinking?" She yelled incredulously. "Hey! I think I'm pretty good looking." I countered, laughing. After the dinner we all sat around and relaxed. It had been a long time since the four of us were together under good circumstances.

…

After hugging my mom goodbye, Rose drove me to the airport. Jasper was already gone before I woke up, no doubt at Jake's house, working on the bike. We sat in the food court and talked for about half an hour since my flight was delayed. I enjoyed spending time with my sister more than my brother, which in most cases would seem odd. Rose was a really down to earth girl, though. Even though she was even more gorgeous than my mom, she wasn't the least bit conceited. Jazz was still going through his irritable teenager years, so needless to say, he wasn't much fun to be around, anyways.

We mostly talked about her new boyfriend, Emmett. She told me how they had met at the car repair shop where she worked part time. She was a good employee to them – they offered her a full time job but she chose to remain in school. Emmett had come in because his jeep wouldn't run and he couldn't figure out why. When the regular guys couldn't figure it out, they called Rose over to work her magic. Once she figured out the problem was – "A flattened football was stuck in the engine somehow," she snorted – he asked her out on a date. That wasn't out of the ordinary for her, but she accepted this time. "I just had a good feeling about him," She paused shyly, "Anyways; we've been dating for almost a year now, sorry for the slow update. I was right, though. He's perfect for me." She grinned hugely, and I reciprocated.

She stopped me when I was getting up to leave. "Eddie-" I didn't really like her nicknames for me, but it made her happy so I let her use them, "Can you keep a secret for me? Don't tell mom or Jasper, _please._" I nodded, my stomach now doing flips. She dug around in her purse and pulled out what looked like a ring case. She smiled shyly and opened it. It _was_ a ring case. A gorgeous diamond ring was snuggled inside. It wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah, I know, right?" She babbled excitedly. "He asked me the night before I flew down here. And, well, you probably know what I said by now."

"Congratulations," I exclaimed slightly exasperated. I hadn't even met this guy and he was marrying my sister. "Why don't you want Mom to know?"

"I want them to at least meet first. You're the most understanding; everyone else would've freaked that they haven't met him yet but we're getting married," She grimaced.

"You're right about that. It's unsettling even to me. Maybe you can stay a few days later than you intended and fly him down so when I get back we could all meet him."

"I was thinking the same thing. I'll arrange the flight," She said nervously. "Speaking of which," She threw a pointed glance towards my gate.

"Oh yeah," I chuckled. "Love you, Rose. Congratulations about Emmett. I can't wait to meet him. I'll call you later to let you know I made it okay."

"Good. You know me and mom have a knack for worrying too much. Love you too, Edward. Have a safe flight."

After a quick hug, I was on the way to Port Angeles, Washington. I always love going on trips for my photography, but I wasn't particularly pleased about this one. I like warmth and sunshine. My boss just happens to be sending me to the rainiest place in the continental United States. I sighed and stuffed my carry on camera case under the seat in front of me and buckled the belt. Trying to look on the positive side, I smiled to myself for getting a window seat. A timid man in looking in his mid-thirties sat down next to me and fumbled over his seat belt. He was definitely afraid of flying. I was the opposite. I made sure he saw me turn off my cell phone, trying to reassure him in some way. I flipped through one of the instruction booklets that explained what to do in case of an emergency, looking at the pictures, until the plane took off. I stared out the window as we rose higher and higher.

When the captain announced that it was safe to use electronics, I pulled my laptop out of the front zipper of my camera case and played solitaire for the next four hours.

…

The Port Angeles airport was surprisingly crowded so it took a while to hail a cab. I decided not to rent a car for this trip since my photography would be all outdoors and it was a small town. When I told the driver where to go, he asked, "Where? I'm not familiar with that town." After typing in the motel's address into the GPS on my phone, we were off as I gave him directions for the rest of the ride.

After what seemed like the longest ride of my life, we arrived at the motel. It was dusk now and I couldn't see much of what I had to work with, so I headed inside. Traveling always took a lot out of me, though, so I was ready for sleep after a few hours of flipping through the channels on TV.

…

I woke up to a text message from my mom. "Happy Valentines Day, Edward! From Rose and Mom – Love you!" I quickly typed a reply and rolled back over, snoozing for a few more hours. I awoke later, around ten in the morning, with the feeling that I'd had a really weird dream, but I couldn't remember what it was. I took a long shower, relaxing my muscles after sleeping on the uncomfortable motel bed. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and got dressed slowly. After that was done, I laid back down in bed and watched TV for a good while.

I decided to get a taxi to town for lunch since I'd have to do plenty of walking later. I got dropped off at the diner that the cab driver recommended and ordered a huge hamburger with fries and a shake. I brought my camera along and snapped pictures on the walk back to the motel. I usually slack off on the first day in town, mostly enjoying being in a new place. Larry was definitely right about this place; it had a certain charm to it. The scenery reminded me of something out of a tree hugger magazine but it _was _pleasant. I was about half way home when an evil drop of water landed on the bridge of my nose. When I looked up, there it was; a massive dark grey cloud looming over me and my expensive, _company-owned_ camera. If I got this thing wet, I might as well kiss my job goodbye. I stuck the camera under my shirt and zipped my jacket up, starting to jog.

It was pouring buckets by the time I got to the motel, but luckily I had worn my winter jacket and none of the water had seeped under it. I set my camera on the desk in my room, taping my fingers along the edge of it. I didn't want to know if the camera still worked for fear of the answer. Sighing, I picked it up and pressed the power button. The lens popped out as it should, I noted. Aiming it at the bed, I snapped a picture. And there it appeared, on the digital screen. I blew out a sigh of relief and put the camera back in its case.

_Flashback_

"_You all are going to love me!" Larry barged in the meeting room with a box in his hands, twenty minutes late. _

"_Is it the new cameras?" Jane piped up in her annoyingly high pitched voice. _

"_It is, Jane, it is! But not just any kind of camera!" He set the box on the table, beaming. "It's the best."_

_As the cameras got passed around to each of the photographers, Larry rambled on about the lady who he bought them from._

"…_And she was like, 'Would you like waterproof cases for $100 more?' So I go 'Sure!' and hand her a hundo. Then she laughs and says, 'Sir, I meant $100 per camera.' Yeah right! We're not taking any underwater pictures, eh, Jane?"_

"_No sir," she giggled._

"It was only one hundred dollars, Larry. This trip is going to be impossible." I mumbled to myself, falling back onto the bed.

I waited out the storm for a few hours, and then set out again, my coat over my shoulder in case it decided to rain again. It was nearing dusk, around seven o'clock when I left the motel. Being lazy was easy in this town. You couldn't exactly take pictures when it's pouring outside.

I had about thirty keepers on my memory card by the time I reached the park that a waitress had mentioned at the diner today. I noted how odd it was that I hadn't seen many people in this town. The poor waitress was so pale, it was scary. I guess she didn't get out much. I smiled as I saw someone sitting on a bench, with her head leaned back, eyes closed and smiling. She was… breath taking. I had to shake my head back and forth a few times before I could focus. From behind, this was a beautiful picture. I snapped a few so I could choose which one I liked best. Her face twitched, like she could hear the shutter of the camera. Impossible. I couldn't even hear it, and I was the one holding it! Either way, whatever was bothering her broke her calm spell. She started gathering her things as I walked up. Some human interaction would be good for me, I snickered.

She was looking down when I reached the bench, so I stood in front of her, hoping she'd notice my presence. She was digging through her bag for something and apparently was oblivious to me. I couldn't even hear her breathing… A calm breeze swayed around the park, lifting her hair around her face. She sat upright so fast that I didn't even see the movement. She had her eyes shut tight. It was quiet for a moment, so I decided to go past her odd reaction and be friendly. Her face was enchanting; she was so beautiful that I almost couldn't speak. But my interest for her and her reaction broke past that. I decided small talk would do.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" I asked, obviously meaning the scenery around us but also referring to her. She didn't seem started; almost as if she was aware I was there the whole time. She slowly opened one eye to get a glance of me. Suddenly both her eyes were wide and I heard her intake of breath. If I wasn't so amazed by her, I would find it flattering. She was just staring at me, as if _I_ was the intriguing one here. "You're a sight to see as well… My boss didn't tell me that the there were also such beautiful women here." I said and smiled at her, wanting her attention. I lifted up my camera and got a great picture of her with her mouth hanging open as she looked at me. She shook her head, somewhat dazed, and closed her mouth.

"Umm, thank you. I haven't seen you around here before…" She inhaled and an emotion I couldn't read flickered across her face. "What is your name?" She asked, studying me.

"My name is Edward Cullen. And no, I'm not from around here. I came to Forks on business," I held up my camera, "I'm a photographer. My boss sent me here. He said that he and his wife had passed through here a few months ago on a trip to Seattle and that it was stunningly beautiful. He wanted me to take some pictures for the magazine. Even in winter it is so green here… It's truly lovely." I said looking around at the nature. My eyes landed on her. "Might I ask what your name is?

I'm Bella Swan. I… I've lived here for a while," She stuttered, looking down at her feet. "Would you like me to show you around town?" She looked up at my sheepishly in a way that made her look absolutely adorable. I found myself smiling at her, "I'd love that."

She stood and led me back through the park, walking in the direction that I had just come from. I didn't interrupt her as she told me what some of the buildings were for, even though I had figured most of them out. We passed the school buildings and she cheerfully told me she worked at the elementary school. I didn't think there was a better job for her. She was so sweet and I could tell she had a big heart from just looking into her honey colored eyes. We kept on walking as nothing but the forest surrounded us. I was always very fit so this much walking didn't bother me. I looked at her warily, took in her delicate looking figure and assumed she'd be tired soon. She surprised me by laughing when I asked if she needed to take a break. "No offense, Edward, but I'm willing to bet that I'm much more fit than you." She said, giggling. I didn't take it offensively, but I seriously doubted what she said.

We reached the "downtown" area of Forks, as Bella called it. She showed me around all of the stores and whatnot and then we stopped at the diner that I had gotten lunch at. I ordered a milkshake but when I asked if she wanted anything, she shook her head saying "I'm not thirsty," then giggled. I let it pass but wondering how she could not be thirsty after all that walking. I told her what motel I was staying at and we started walking in that direction, talking about anything under the sun.

I watched her as she talked, and her eyes seemed like the brightest things I'd ever seen. She was wearing a deep blue blouse and it looked amazing on her. Her hair was in loose curls and I had to fight the urge to run my fingers through it. She was talking about the macaroni hat activity from hell when her phone interrupted her. I recognized the ringtone and had to hold back from laughing; I couldn't picture Bella listening to 3OH!3.

"Hello?" Bella answered, after grimacing when she saw the caller ID.

I could hear a high pitched female voice going off on top speed and realized why Bella probably grimaced. I chuckled and looked up at the clouds warily.

"Hey Alice. Sorry, I ran into a guy who is visiting Forks. I was showing him where everything was…" I looked down at her and she was smiling at me. It was infectious and I grinned back hugely.

The person on the phone was slightly louder so I could here what she said clearly.

"_Oooooh! A boy? Is he cute? What's he like? When will you get home? ARE you coming home? You bad girl! And you were yelling at me last night! Hah!"_

"Alice! I was showing him around town. I'm on my way home right now." She snapped the phone shut without another word and laughed under her breath. I couldn't help the frown from appearing on my face when she said she was going home. She looked up at me questioningly when she saw my expression. "Going home so soon?" I asked, trying to laugh as if it didn't bother me, but it did, and I didn't understand that. A smile played on her lips, followed abruptly by a frown. She looked like she was thinking about something for a moment, and then smiled again. "You could walk me home. I'll need some help convincing my sister that I've been telling the truth about today's activities."

I agreed without hesitation and we turned around, walking back towards the park. The clouds then decided to make themselves known so we had to stop at Wal-Mart to get a big umbrella. I tried to pay but Bella wasn't having it. We stepped back out into the pouring rain and started running towards her house. We continued to talk and talk and I discovered that she was so different than anyone I'd ever met. The way she thought captivated me; it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I could tell when she talked about her sister, Alice, that she'd do anything for that girl. I had a suspicion that she always put others before herself. She stumbled several times on the way to her house and it was adorable.

When the house was finally in view, we jogged the remaining distance. We got to the porch and I shook out my hair at her, making her scream and laugh. I couldn't help my mind from wandering and it was screaming at me how damn sexy she looked with the rain dripping down her face. I shook my head and reached for the door at the same time she did. I beat her to it and opened it saying, "Ladies first." She giggled and walked in, pointing to the rug with a serious expression. "Alice," she mouthed. She took off her coat and hung it on a coat rack, taking off her shoes as well. I did the same and followed her to the couch.

"Oh, Edward, how are you going to get to your hotel?" She asked as I sat down. "I can walk, Bella. I would think that you should know that after today," I said, smirking at her. She scowled as who I assumed to be Alice appeared suddenly behind the couch and laughed at my joke. Remembering my manners, I said, "By the way, your home is very nice." I stood up and shook hands with Alice. "And I'm Edward Cullen. Sorry to keep Bella out so late. She's been very helpful. I feel like I know Forks like the back of my hand." I laughed and sat back down after Alice thanked me. We all talked for another hour or so until I realized that I really hadn't gotten much work done today and should probably head back to the motel so I could start early tomorrow. I voiced my thoughts glumly.

"Thanks for everything Bella. I had a great time today. You too, Alice," I said, trying to hide my yawn. I saw Bella glance toward the clock and she jumped up as she realized it was nearly midnight. She started saying ridiculous things about how I must be so tired and that there was no way I'm walking to the motel. It was cute that she was concerned about me. "I'm driving you," she said seriously.

"Bella, that's ridiculous, you have to be tired too. I think driving is more dangerous. You should get some sleep," I told her sternly. She tried to hold her expression together but after a few seconds, burst into laughter with Alice following behind her. I looked down, offended that they were laughing at something like me caring that Bella got enough sleep.

"Edward…that's…hilarious…" Alice said between laughs. I was getting to be more confused than offended now. I didn't see the humor in it. Bella was finally able to speak, still giggling a little but at least it was somewhat comprehendible. "I'm sort of a night-owl. So is Alice. We don't sleep that much." She got serious again and said, "Really, I'm wide awake. And I'm driving you to your motel. Plus, I want to know where I can come to see you tomorrow." I had no intention of letting her drive me until that last sentence. "Fine, you're driving me," I said, smiling at her. We put our coats and boots back on and ran to her truck, trying to dodge the pouring rain. We finally reached it and climbed into the cab, laughing. I told her the name of my motel and she nodded, starting the truck. The car ride was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. I couldn't help but wonder if she shared the attraction that I held for her. I mean, she knew where to go as soon as I said the motel name. I could've told her that and she could come see me tomorrow. It seemed like she wanted to see me, and I was okay with that!

She walked me to my room when we got to the motel, but I wasn't ready for her to leave yet. "Would you like to see _my_ amazing room? I asked sarcastically. I saw her doing the math in her head and she hesitated, not sure what I meant by that. "Don't worry; I'm not going to take advantage of your spacey moments or anything," I joked, trying to get her to come in. I really didn't plan on doing anything with her; I just wanted to be with her a bit longer.

"Lead the way," she said, still hesitant. I unlocked the door and held it open for her. She immediately walked to the camera case that lay open on my bed, sinking to her knees to see better. She looked questioningly at the empty space between my two other cameras, so I came up and put the camera I had brought on my walk in the space. She noticed the stack of Polaroids I had taken and looked through them, truly enjoying it. "This is Betty," I said, pointing to my favorite, the Polaroid. "She's my baby girl," I said laughing. She looked at me and giggled. "Betty? You named your camera?" She teased.

"Yes." I said seriously. She smiled and stood up, saying, "Whatever floats your boat." She turned around and I could tell she was surprised to see me standing so close. I felt so many things flood through me at once right then. I was surprised and happy and nervous but frustrated with myself because I couldn't understand these emotions. I shoved them away and felt very shy all of the sudden. I could see her carefully looking at me, and I smiled at her, stroking my fingers along her arm. I couldn't deny the shock that ran through me as I touched her but that wasn't why I was so surprised. Her eyes got wide and she looked at me fearfully. "Bella… you're freezing!" I said, worrying about her. No one should be that cold. Had walking around all day done that to her? If so, I would be so mad at myself. What else could it be?

"I… I'm always cold," She mumbled, looking down, almost ashamed. "My temperature must be lower than everyone else's or something." I couldn't stand to see her looking upset; I had to fix it. I gently lifted her chin so she could look at me. I wanted to kiss her so badly then, but I refrained, unsure of how she felt about me. I wasn't a fool, I never lied to myself. I did not try to deny the feelings I felt for Bella. It's been a day and I knew that I was falling in love with her, that somehow we were meant to be together. Still… she could feel the opposite. What if she just wanted to be friends? But I would take any part of her I could get. If she wanted to just be friends I'd gladly accept it. "Would you like me to warm you up?" I joked. I realized what she could take that as and quickly added, "And I don't mean anything sexual by that, just to let you know." He winked. She was still quiet, staring at me. I couldn't tell if this was good or bad. I tried to wait for her to speak but after a few moments my stomach was twisting itself into knots and it was becoming painful. I needed to know what she thought. "Well…?"

"Um… I think I might need to get home to Alice. She'll wonder…" Her words crushed me but I didn't let her see it. It was clear she just wanted to be friends. "Okay. What time will you be over tomorrow?" I asked her.

"Well, I'll come over after work. We only have half days at the school on Fridays." She smiled, looking excited. She then spaced out, and I chuckled at her. "In that case, may I take you out to lunch?" I asked, trying to sound polite but also trying to hide how I felt about her. The electricity continued to flow between us from where my hand touched her chin and I wondered if she felt it too. Damnit I wanted to kiss her so badly but I reigned in my feelings.

"That sounds great." She said, taking a step back. My hand fell limply by my side as I felt rejection so heavy it threatened to crush me. I kept a neutral expression on my face, but I knew my eyes gave me away. I hope she wasn't good at reading people. She reluctantly turned and walked to the door. She tried opening it but the knob was stuck. She was muttering under her breath and I couldn't help but smile as I walked over and quickly opened the door. It gave me trouble when I tried to open it for the first time, too. You just had to wiggle it a certain way. "Thanks," She said, laughing, and stepped out into the rain. She was walking down the walkway and I couldn't contain it any more. I'd ask her to be my valentine, even though technically it's not Valentine's Day anymore. If she liked me maybe even a little, she would say yes. If she didn't, she would say no. At least I'd know where she stands. "Hey Bella!" I called, just as she was preparing to run to her truck. She was so damn cute.

"Yes?" She asked, turning around. She walked back to me and my hand automatically reached out to touch her arm again. The temperature was shocking again but the sensation of the electricity that flowed between us was too good to pass up. She was so beautiful.

It's now or never. "Even though technically it isn't Valentine's Day anymore… will you be my valentine?" She smiled and laughed. "Oh, I think I deserve better, don't you?" She joked. I guess that was my answer. I'd have to let go of my feelings for her and.. She cut me off saying, "Just kidding! Edward, that would make me very happy." It was confusing how fast my emotions could change as I went from feeling so low I could hardly feel anything at all to so happy I could fly. She smiled at me again and I needed to kiss her now. I fought back the urge, trying to be a gentleman.

"Good. Happy Valentine's Day, Bella." I said. I decided to give in, a little. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Surely that wasn't too much. She blinked once, twice, three times before she could gather herself. She said it back, turning around slowly, and walked back to the end of the walkway. She looked back at me once she got there. "Goodnight," I yelled to her as she started running to her truck.

"Goodnight!" She yelled back as she got in her truck and drove away. I watched until I couldn't see her truck anymore, and closed the door, sighing. What have I gotten myself into?

**(a/n Oh, if only you knew what you've gotten yourself into, Edward! :] Muahaha. Sorry for the slow update, I've had seriously bad writer's block problems. Anyways, I hope this was good. PLEASE REVIEW. I won't post again until I get AT LEAST one review :[ It makes me saaad that there's no reviews yet. Kay thanks for taking the time out of your day to read my story it means a lot. :] P.S. I may have made some mistakes, feel free to tell me. I noticed I said Bella blushed in this chapter so I went back and changed it haha, so if anything like that comes up please tell me :] )  
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